Great Outdoor Day in L.A. #17 - Get Your Zzzz's Zuma to Spruzzo's

One of the less-traveled trails in the Santa Monica Mountains is hidden in Zuma Canyon. Enjoy a leisure cruise up Bonsail Drive off Pacific Coast Highway, opposite Westward Beach and past celebrity haciendas with mounds of brilliant bougainvillea spilling over white walls to a dirt road that deposits you at the trail head.  A steep accent to ocean view and canyon views is a favorite of equestrians so you may run into the horsey set on this trek. Most hikers take the trail up canyon with

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Great Outdoor Day in L.A. #14 Taking Time to Smell the Roses

I never promised you a rose garden, but Descanso is one that will sate the appetite of any romantic. Garlands of pink, magenta, and yellow roses drape sweeping arbors that lead to a courtyard graced by a Roman fountain. Benches tucked into shady nooks beckon to lovers or friends to share. A meandering stream whispers as it steals sweetly through wooded dells. Each season brings a new face to this less-traveled garden. In January and February

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Great Outdoor Day in L.A. #8 – Satwiwa, Where the World is Safe and Warm

When humans could speak with animals and the world was “safe and warm,” the Chumash Indians came up Big Sycamore Canyon carrying bounty from the sea to trade with the Indians that lived at Satwiwa, aka Rancho Sierra Vista. Once a year the tribes of Gabriolino, Tongva and Chumash would meet in the vast meadow at the top of the 8-mile climb to discuss the hunting and ceremonial plans of the year. Today the meadow framed by Boney Ridge, a volcanic bluff that shelters the canyon, is honeycombed with hiking trails.

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Great Outdoor Day in L.A. #6 – Point Dume Bluff Trail

Hike up the well-traveled path that sashays though a meadow spiked with lupine and California poppies in the spring. In February you will walk through mounds of brilliant yellow coreopsis, a shaggy form of rare daisy endemic to the region. Once aloft, enjoy majestic views of Windward Beach. If it looks familiar it is because it was used as the backdrop for the Bay Watch series and countless commercials.

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Jack London and Me

I didn't realize it when I was growing up in gold country, but I was walking in the footsteps of America's best-loved adventure writer. That's me standing in front of Jack London's Wolf House. Over the years our paths have crossed many times. I feel a special connection to a man I never met, but whose actions and deeds inspire me still.
Read the full story at YourLife is a Trip by clicking on the link.
http://www.yourlifeisatrip.com/home/jack-london-and-me.html

Great Outdoor Day in L.A. #2 –Hondo Canyon

I am the L.A. Outdoor Travel Examiner for Examiner.com

The articles in this column provide insider tips for great outdoor days in L.A., or adventures that are easily done in a day trip. They will begin with the suggested adventure details and end in sweat-band friendly eateries. You will learn historical tidbits about a given region to enhance your experience as well ss points of interest nearby a trail head that can round off and great outdoor day. I hope you will join me.

Here is Great Outdoor Day in L.A. #2 just for you.

http://www.examiner.com/outdoor-travel-in-los-angeles/great-outdoor-day-l-a-2-hondo-canyon